Robbo: Another women’s football death would be a full-blown crisis

Four women who loved playing footy are now dead after suffering brain injuries. Football is a contact sport, it’s not supposed to be a killer sport, writes Mark Robinson.

Heather Anderson. Jacinda Barclay. Maggie Varcoe. Elisabeth Memos.

These are four women who loved playing Australian rules who are now dead, either from their own hand after suffering concussions or instantly after suffering head knocks on the field.

With some of them, there were other complications.

With all of them, they played footy.

Heather Anderson.

Varcoe died in August, 2018. Barclay in October in 2020. Memos in June, 2022. And Anderson in November 2022.

That’s roughly one death every 15 months over the past five years which is four deaths too many.

Football is a contact sport, it’s not supposed to be a killer sport.

“The deaths and brain trauma compared to men is stark and confronting,’’ concussion activist Peter Jess said on Tuesday.

Former Carlton AFLW coach Daniel Harford said: “They are horrible numbers. But there are layers to the deaths of Jacinda and Heather. Jacinda and Heather had a history of mental health challenges prior to their AFLW involvement. So there’s layers to it. By that number, four in five years, is too many.’’

Clearly, four deaths are enough red flags for the women’s game.

Anymore and it’s a full-blown crisis.

“This must be a wake up call to all parents of girls aspiring to play AFLW,’’ Jess said.

“The current dangers far outweigh the benefits of a sport that is contact based.’’

He said the AFL and AFLW had been repeatedly warned of the dangers of collisions in the women’s cohort playing men’s rules, when instead they should be playing a modified, safer game with reduced tackles and low impact collisions.

Harford, who coached the Blues women’s team for four years from 2018-2022, says there would be “kick back’’ if rule changes were introduced in a bid to deliver a safer workplace.

“You can’t do that,’’ Harford said.

Daniel Harford. Picture: Getty Images

“And the women won’t want that. One of the things from women footballers and campaigners is they want to play Australian rules as it’s always been played.

“That’s not necessarily what they get to do because headquarters might one day say this has become a big issue and we’re going to alter it and you’ve got no choice.

“But there would be enormous kick back if there’s too many changes to the fundamental pillars of Australian rules footy because they’re women.’’

Harford believes greater resourcing and coaching had helped educate women about protecting their bodies in contests and that two fewer players on the field already helped reduce collisions.

“Some of the games at the start were quite combative, had numbers around the ball, and a few more opportunities for knocks, but from what I’ve seen in the past five years is the younger players who have been taught more through pathway opportunities, and better coaching and resourcing, they are more aware of their bodies in imminent collisions.

“And the game is a lot more free-flowing.’’

Jess disputes that AFLW footy is a safe workplace.

“How can this be a safe workplace if we have that number of deaths,’’ he said.

“If this was a transport company, a mining company, an airline company, WorkSafe would shut them down.

“When we have this many deaths we need to have a complete reset.’’

Originally published as Robbo: Another women’s football death would be a full-blown crisis